Rick Overson
| Rick Overson | |
|---|---|
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| Wiki role: | Website developer |
| Email: | [email protected] |
Titles
Research Scientist, School of Sustainability, College of Global Futures
Co-Director, Global Locust Initiative, Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation
Education
- PhD, Biology, Arizona State University 2011
- BS, Biology, Arizona State University, 2004
Biography
As Co-director of the Global Locust Initiative, I coordinate broadly with global stakeholders to more sustainably manage grasshopper and locust outbreaks which have negative impacts on human livelihoods worldwide. I am involved in several ongoing efforts to increase stakeholder representation in this space, foster increased transparency and information sharing, as well as develop community-built resources for locust management. My research seeks to understand the mechanisms which produce and maintain variation both within and between species and how this variation ultimately affects the evolution of natural populations. I am particularly interested in variation in insect phenotypes as they relate to plant-insect interactions. I use approaches in behavioral ecology, population genetics, and phylogenetics to understand how traits surrounding these interactions are partitioned in space and time, and how this mosaic of variation affects speciation and ultimately biodiversity. My current research is aimed at understanding variation in locust behavioral and nutritional ecology in a collaborative effort to improve locust management and global food security.